I just wanted to say that I think it's pretty awesome you're a Brony, CR.

He's not a brony, none of you are: you just watch a show that's originally intended for little girls.
There's nothing inherently wrong with that (I just finished watching Totally spies, and I have Witch and Winx club on my to watch-list), but don't make a religion out of it when it's only been 1 season.
I admit I watched the original series when I was a kid, and thought it was okay, but I have since moved on.

(No, I'm not a bro and I'm not mad, I just don't get what the fuss is all about.)

"Brony" isn't a religion. At least, it isn't for those of us who aren't criminally insane. It's just a humorous term for male fans of the series. Every series has its nickname for fans, after all. Trekkies, MSTies, Whovians... No reason to get frustrated about it.

Now, with that out of the way, my wife initially introduced me to the My Little Pony cartoons as she collects the toys and had the original movie on tape. I was pleasantly surprised at how not bad it was. It wasn't really good, mind you, but it had its moments. Spike was adorable and funny and Mr. Moochik (whom CR disappointingly panned off merely as "Grandfather Mushroom") was played by Tony Randall. TONY RANDALL! This movie had Felix Ungar in it, for crying out loud!

So, yeah, the Generation 1 cartoons weren't all that bad. They had some neat adventures and both my wife and I loved Spike and... I think it was Wisteria. I don't know. It was the pony who spoke over everyone's heads all the time. I love cartoons that aren't afraid to use big words and encourage kids to learn.

However, Generation 2... Ugh... Both my wife and I hated it. Keep in mind that as far as entertainment goes, I'm more "girly" than she is. I get more attached to the characters and am more interested in the emotional connections between them. My wife, on the other hand, just wants to see good guys fight bad guys and hopefully see things blow up in the process. Naturally, she was displeased with the lack of adventures in Generation 2, and I... well... WHERE WAS SPIKE, DAMMIT? I loved that little purple dragon!

Generation 3. Ugh again. Generation 2 with even weaker stories. At least the animation was pretty.

Generation 3.5? What is tha--OH MY GOD! TAKE IT AWAY! TAKE IT AWAY!!! WHAT NEW SPORE OF HELL HAS HASBRO UNLEASHED!? THE GREAT OLD ONES ROAM THE EARTH ONCE MORE! IT'S THE END OF DAYS! Good God, those things were ugly.

Never saw the baby pony cartoons until this review. I'd like to keep it that way.

And, finally, Generation 4. WOW! My wife and I had no interest in a new pony cartoon as we figured it was going to be more of the Generation 3 crap, but after seeing all of the fanart and references to the new cartoon online, I figured "Eh... Why not? I'll check it out." I'm so glad I did! It's funny, it has truly epic adventures (One character stares down a cockatrice in one episode! How is that NOT awesome?), and it's brilliantly written from its clever dialogue that appeals to both children and adults and its absolutely fantastic musical numbers that feel like something out of a Broadway musical. Also, they have the guts to drop anvils on pony's heads. Never thought I'd see that in a My Little Pony cartoon. Or any cartoon these days, for that matter. Oh, and Spike was finally back! Granted, he didn't have the voice of Charlie Adler anymore, but you can't have everything!

So, yes, I am a Brony. I have been a Brony even before Generation 4. It is not a religion for me. I'm just a guy who thinks cartoons about talking horses can be pretty fun. Especially if they involve falling anvils and cute purple dragons.

And I just realized I left a comment so long I needed to break it into two.

Maybe Brony IS a religion, after all!

Nah. I'm just a long-winded shmuck.

At least you know good girl-centric shows (I like those you listedd that you watch). For the record, I think that's why this is so beloved on the intener: It's just a good girl-centric show anyone/everyone can get into if they try to do so.

Game over voice; WELCOME TO HELL, CR

after that last one u know what im gonna do...IM GONNA EAT RUSTED NAILS AND FIGHT A CROCADILE, A TIAFGER, A COUGER, A LOIN, AND GODZILLA WITH A FORK

this was unexpected, even for you.

I wonder if this vid is gonn abe seen in the Equestria Daily now. Good job! It's nice to see how the older MLP cartoons are like then.

A MLP retrospective. That can only mean that you're gonna get to reviewing FIM at some point, and OH BOY, i cannot wait for that.
A CR review of a character from MLP: FIM. that is literally 2 of my favorite things combined into one.
i should mention that it was you Character in 5 seconds of pinkie pie that god me interested in the series. Hell, I think you're the only one whose even mentioned the show up to this point (other than a small skit by Nash, but I digress). Makes me wonder what character you plan on talking about, since pretty much every character (even the background ones) have had some attention.
any way, I'm so exited about the new season and the episode you have planed I literally can't sit still.
Brohoof Brony. see ya September 17th!

Well, I'm gonna have nightmares tonight, from those darn "New Born Ponies"

it show you that you can count on Laura Faust to make something creative and fun to watch

Don't forget the team of Studio B. They brought it to life.

I totally lost in during the 1992 flashback, I'll be sending you the cleaning bill for my pants. XD

LOL You know CR? I'm a girl and I don't like MLP Tales. It didn't hold my interest when the show was on - If I wanted Babysitter's club, I'd watch Babysitter's club (And I did.)

Aside the pilot episode, I never really watched the original series much. I went back in time via Youtube and found some older episodes. I was pleasantly and somewhat shockingly surprised to see that every other episode seemed to have an actual villain. I like it. Tirak was totally on loan from He-Man lol.

At the point MLPFIM came along I had given up all hope of there ever being a good MLP series... until a Brony converted me. Amen.

Please tell me this guy is bashing the original series' , or anything that came before FiM. Everything before FiM SUCKS!!! Almost anyone will tell you that!

G1 was actually pretty good considering the era it was made in

And as he said, Tales was at least trying

G1's movies actually were decent, though I;m not counting the theatrical one (Those witches were one-dimensional and suck major ass IMHO).

I'll definitely agree that G1 is bttter than G2, which is better than G3, which is worse than G2, but especially worse than G1.

The shows still suck and I'd thinking the same if it weren't for G4-FiM.

@S-3
Not really. I watched some old episodes on youtube out of curiosity and Rescue at Midnight Castle is quite good.

I'll agree with you on G1's movies ONLY, as long as you don't count that theatrical fiasco with those idiot witches! Those freaks could hvae easil spawned my motto if I wanted them to, but that would be insult in itself to msyelf.

Than again, "I Eat Witches For Breakfast" for a reason!

Can't wait till your FIM video, keep up the good work.

I didn't even know there was other MLP series between G1 and G4...glad I manage to avoid that during my childhood!

G3 was actually a 2006 production.
so if you are old enaugh to remember G1 you were bound to miss it (Luckly)

And you DIDN'T include any footage of Nella playing with her Pony Collection? Granted, I can look up that video at any time, but that still would've been a fitting icing on the cake.

I call for a Nella cameo if he makes another Pony video!

Loved the Jerrid "cameo" x)

New born ponies? *shiver*

To quote Richard the warlock from LFG web-comic
"FOR PONIES!"

The baby ponies almost made me throw up.

I love how everybody hates on the previous generations of ponies. How delightfully simple-minded. Just like the ones who hate The Hub.

You did SEE that new born pony stuff, right?

I mean... really. Speechless.

Oh come now. Regardless of your opinion of the older shit, no one can argue that those last clips with the "New Born" things are anything but objectively bad. There's less animation than Speed Racer and, if the clip is any indication, zero story to speak of.

Excellent!
I never bothered to seek out the backstory of my brony center, and now I can do so in a much more enjoyable- the fudge are those baby things?!

All joking aside, I happily await my little pony retrospective the 2nd.

Now I'm gonna go find a doctor, my kidneys and eyeballs just swapped places.

Why guys around my age(25) would like this shows now and other Disney move that seem to be aim to girls?

Same reason some girls like shows that seem to be aimed at boys. A good show can appeal to anyone.

This yes!

Ya, it's like wondering why girls like The Last Air bender.

*The Cartoon, not the crime against humanity Shyamalan made.*

While MLP:FiM is aimed at girls, there's a lot of positive qualities about it that makes it appealing to a broader audience. The animation is pleasant to look at, the characters have depth, the conflicts, while kind of mundane at times, are easy to relate to, there's life lessons to be learned without them shoving it down our throats, and in general it's just a boatload of fun to watch. There's something for everyone here if given a chance.

Season 2 starts Saturday, September 17, 2011 on the HUB. http://www.hubworld.com/ Give it a shot if you haven't already. You can also find the first season episodes online if you look hard enough. If/when they release on DVD/BD I would recommend anyone who enjoys the series to buy them and show their support.

I'm Fox and I'm proud to be a brony. :D

You know what really annoys me about those baby ponies? Someone actually got paid money to make that. THEY GOT PAID!

All that aside, I appreciate the new show so much more now. FiM FTW.

What annoys me most about those baby ponies is that there are actually people in this world who genuinely believe that "targeted at a female audience" means "mush-minded, treacle dipped, and totally devoid of any concept more complex than what to have for dinner".


....and, you know, that they get paid for it.

Wow, I never realized that Friendship is Magic, Paul W.S Anderson'd(taking only the concepts and the names) the franchise.

This was funny as hell.

*Gives CR a purple heart for those last two MIP series he reviewed..particularly that last one* It's amazing what a franchise can survive.

Glad you got this review up okay. This was good! I'm probably going to go wipe my brain of that umm...flash animation thing at the end. Looking forward to the next part, my friend! Stay cool.

To sum up his thoughts for those who don't feel like watching the video:

G1: Cutsey-Wutsey, flat characters, but awesome villains.

G2: OMG Boys and Makeovers!

G3-1: The Diabetes-endurcing era. Dull, boring characters with dumb stories.

G3-2: Incredibly DUMB characters, blatant merchandise-shilling.

G3-3: GAAAAHH!! KILL IT! KILL IT WITH FIRE!!

Hasbro's definition of G3 Ponies: They were fired after 30 seconds and shot into the flaming heart of the sun

I was a horse-obsessed girl growing up in the 90s and I LOVED MLP, but I agree that it had no interesting characters or plot. Friendship is Magic is a drastic improvement!

...those 3.5 ponies are going to haunt my nightmares!

CR, you're Pinkie Pie in 5 seconds video is one of the reasons I checked out MLP:FiM (before that I never heard of the show actually). So I'd like to just say, thanks! *brohoof*

The first series wasn't that bad actually, I think that we owe a lot to Rescue at Midnight Castle for inspiring Lauren Faust, plus it was one of the only things pre MLP:FiM thing to actually treat the audience to a show that wasn't entirely girly and had a threatening villain and the characters were the prototypes for the ones we love and they were well animated.

I just remembered the G1 episode with the Big Brother Ponies, it was actually a pretty good episode since the villain was pretty interesting. She's kinda the prototype to Mother Gothel with the whole youth thing and actually even looks similar. The creepy thing is when she sucked the youth from the girl ponies they had saggy, wrinkled turtle faces. I wonder if that freaked out the kids back then knowing their pretty ponies would someday age so horribly.

Gen 3.5 is so horrifying how those ponies move around, it doesn't help that they're all generic girly stereotypes and that the show seems more tailored around a 2-6 year old audience since any kid older than that would find it too babyish.

Nice to hear a positive opinion besides mine! ^^

you have to mention his in your gen 4 episode.

http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=O_Q6M6pO_2s

thanks for this CR it is really helping me out with understanding what this new my little pony phenomenon is although i will admit despite all the bright colors i do like the high quality animation of gen 4 but sometimes the ponies look downright creepy from what i have seen recycled into avatars and various clips

Very well done. I remember as a little girl not watching MLP except for some of the movies or featured films. Back story for the the cat woman would have been nice.

Who was the little girl? Just wondering. Reminded me of me as a little girl and wanting to watch stuff with action, having some of my toys be the 'bad guys', and pretending to be a pirate, ninja, or witch.

Haven't seen too much of MLP:FIM but from what I've seen I like it thus far.

Okay, I'll admit it. I never was interested in MLP before G4. The only interaction I had with it before came from my sisters and their G3 playsets. Yeah, not such a great start...

But some of the old stuff looks like something to look into, if for the history at the very least. Thanks for the review CR!

Also... I know why CR looks so freaked out on the title card. Just thought I'd mention since no one else did.

Let's see we have Rainbow Dash of the G3 variety, Scootaloo from *shudder* the baby show, Pinkie Pie from G3.5 and Firefly from G1. *Looks back at Pinkie Pie* Why is she holding a cupcake and have that look of...

FIREFLY RUN!!! SCREW THE OTHER TWO!!! PINKIE IS NOT TO BE TRUSTED!!

The art style makes me think that's Melody, not Firefly, though they do look pretty similar.

I had two videos I was working on for my first steps into video reviewing: James and the Giant Peach and a MLP restrospective. Thanks to you and Doug in A SINGLE DAY my efforts have been thwarted.

But seriously, you guys did a much better job than I was going to. Love it.